CAMPBELL, Ohio - Next week, more than three-thousand water customers in Campbell will no longer receive their water from the treatment plant in the city, instead their water will come from the treatment plant in Poland Township.

Aqua Ohio announced that the week of April 4th, is when the final step to incorporate Campbell into it's other Valley operations would take place. This means the water treatment plant in Campbell will retire and water will then come from the township plant, which just recently underwent a $17.6 million renovation to help serve the additional customers.

"The former Campbell Water Department employees have done a great job producing compliant water from a very dated facility but taking the city's old water treatment plant out of service was always part of our plan to ensure the drinking water provided to Campbell continues to meet current and future regulatory requirements," said Area Manager Jennifer Johnson. 

Aqua official say the change in treatment locations will bring a change in disinfection technology. The difference is that the plant in Poland uses chloramines instead of free-chlorine to disinfect and preserve water quality. The updated process leads to longer lasting disinfection and reduces the formation of potentially harmful byproducts.

Customers should not notice any change in the appearance, taste or smell of the water as a result of the change in disinfection method. However, two groups of people should be aware – dialysis patients and aquatic pet owners.

Aqua officials explain that's because the chloramines may not filter out of the body of a dialysis patient, or a fish, as they should.

They suggest dialysis patients should consult their doctor and/or equipment supplier.

Fish tank owners should use additives that neutralize chloramines, which are widely available at pet stores, whenever they add tap water in their tanks.

"Campbell has been one of the few systems in the area that doesn't use chloramines to keep water quality up high, we have been using it in our Struthers plant for decades, Youngstown has used it for sanitation for decades, it's just that Campbell hasn't used that technology," said Aqua Spokesperson Jeff LaRue.

Most water customers will not notice when the switch over from water plants is made, however there is a chance some customers may notice cloudiness or pressure changes.

"There is a slim chance that because we are changing the direction of water, than in certain areas it could stir up some iron deposits in those pipes, which would end up looking like water could be slightly discolored, but I don't expect most people to even notice that," said LaRue. 

In the event customers do notice color change, they are advised to run cold water from a tap in the lower level of their home. The discoloration should clear up in a few minutes.

For more information regarding water treatment changes in Campbell, customers may contact the Aqua Service Center at 1-877-987-2782.